


Circle Upset

by Torabara



Series: The Circle Forever [2]
Category: Circle of Magic - Tamora Pierce, Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/F, F/M, Friendship, Jealousy, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torabara/pseuds/Torabara
Summary: Sandry has a marriage meeting. No one is happy about it.
Relationships: Briar Moss/Sandrilene fa Toren, Daja Kisubo/Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler & Daja Kisubo & Briar Moss & Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler/Daja Kisubo/Briar Moss/Sandrilene fa Toren, Trisana Chandler/Sandrilene fa Toren
Series: The Circle Forever [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915261
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	Circle Upset

**Author's Note:**

> Ignores The Circle Opens canon. Explanation at the end.
> 
> First published work. Critique the heck out of it.

Tris was practically bristling with lightning. She wasn’t actually, thank goodness, as she’d learned to control that long ago, but the air definitely smelled of ozone. Daja and Briar weren’t much better off, though their anger was not quite as obvious to the average onlooker. But if you observed the area around them closely, you could see that any metal the three of them wore moved constantly, and the grass at their feet thrashed violently. Normally, their powers would be under control no matter how angry they got, they were adults after all and they’d had plenty of training. But right now their small but feisty fourth was sitting through a marriage meeting, and none of them were happy about it. 

The suggestion had come from her uncle, Duke Vedran, and Sandry loved him too much to tell him outright that she did not want to. While her uncle was aware that the four of them were very close, it never seemed to occur to him exactly how close they really were, and they were certainly close enough to get jealous. During their meeting on the rooftop Sandry did her best to prepare the other three to wait while she sat through the meeting, she even had to assure Tris that she would say “No” if her uncle asked her to accept. (Tris still worried often that the happiness she had found at the Circle would not last, and while she never really voiced her concerns, the others knew they were there and worked together often to reassure her.) The problem was no longer that she might be forced to say yes, now the problem was that the man she was being forced to converse with was an absolute pig. Sandry could feel the others watching through her eyes from where they stood in the yard at Discipline Cottage.

“And you truly must cease with that weaving nonsense I’ve heard that you do. After all, a proper noble woman should only do fine embroidery, not commoners' work.” He said, downing another cup of ale before smiling at her as though he thought he were charming, when really he was only arrogant. The potted plant near his chair leaned over the arm to slice a paper cut into his hand, causing him to yelp. She managed to move the plant out of danger before he could throw it, which he seemed intent upon.

_ Honestly Briar, _ Sandry scolded mentally,  _ You know plenty of other people who feel the same way. You mustn’t take out your irritation on this ignorant ninny. _ Briar only huffed in response.

“Where was I before that blasted plant interrupted me? Ah, yes, and speaking of commoners, that dress you’re wearing is so drab. Surely you would feel more comfortable in something of a higher class? When we are married you will only wear the most elegant dresses.” He glanced briefly at the rest of her attire. “In fact we’ll just have to replace all your clothes. They are completely below standard.” The bolts in the chair he was sitting in came undone and he was sent sprawling backwards.

_ Daja! _ Sandry cried, rushing to help the foolish man. 

_ He’s insulting your craftsmanship. There’s no way I’m going to let him get away with that. _ Daja replied, voice scarily calm. This time it was Sandry’s turn to huff in reply, although she couldn’t help but feel a little gratified watching the over-dressed little man wallow on the floor. Still, she brought over a new chair for him and helped him to his feet, as was polite.

“This place is falling apart! Why, when you move into my castle there won’t be more of such nonsense as that! Why, next thing you know some animal will appear!”

“What’s wrong with animals?” Sandry asked, voice calm despite how irritated she was becoming with the entire situation.

“Why, all animals are foul, messy creatures of course. All animals are kept far from my castle, so that all the noble people do not have to come into contact with them.”

“But what about rat catchers like cats and dogs, or even just pets?”

“Nonsense! We don’t need any such creatures.” 

“I happen to love animals very much though.” Sandry replied, rather forcefully, she was ashamed to admit. In recent years she’d learned to bide her temper when it came to people like this, but jealousy from her friends lurking in the back of her mind and his continued transgressions were beginning to grate on her.

“Goodness we’ll have to change that! I do hope you haven’t been rolling around with any of them, we’d have to have you completely cleaned before you arrived. Don’t want you to go dirtying anything now do we?” Suddenly a window slammed open and a gust of wind knocked the tea into the man’s lap. He howled in anger from the hot tea dripping into his delicate parts. This time Sandry was too tired to do much more to help him than offer a handkerchief.

_ Tris… _

_ The man is a pig and if he slanders you one more time I will lightning strike him.  _ Tris huffed.  _ I can’t believe you’re being so calm with him. Normally you’d have told him off already. _

_ I haven’t really gotten much of a chance to, what with you three leaping to my defense. _

_ We know you can take care of yourself, _ Briar began,  _ But just imagining that piece of cow dung finding a way to force you into a marriage… _

_ It scares us.  _ Daja finished.  _ If you ever decide to leave us-  _ Sandry was about to object but Daja soldiered on,  _ If you ever decided to leave us, then we would want you to be with someone who makes you happy, not someone like  _ that.

_ I will never leave you.  _ Sandry whispered through their connection.  _ I love you all too much. It might actually kill me if I tried. Now please, before you three get in trouble, let me handle this on my own. _

The three who stood together outside hugged, and through their magical link they enveloped Sandry in love and respect.  _ We will see you at Discipline.  _ They promised, before reluctantly withdrawing from Sandry so she only had to deal with one worry.

Sandry sighed. Already she missed them, and she was expected to entertain the man for another half hour at least. So she did, smiling and nodding woodenly, all the way until her required time was nearly up, until the man said the most foolish thing of all. 

“And those people you work with that I’ve heard so much about. How can you stand to be around them?” Sandry felt the smile on her face crack. “I mean, a merchant and a trader I can understand dealing with in times of need, but a thief? You poor dear.” Now she was openly frowning at him, though he was too much of an idiot to see that. “Well you won’t be forced to fraternize with such riff raff. In fact, I’ll make sure they never come anywhere near you. Wouldn’t you like that?”

“Those three,” Sandry began, blue eyes spitting fire, “Are the most important people in the world to me, and you would do well not to speak of them again or you will find that life has gotten very difficult for you.” She stood as the man gaped at her and walked to the door. She did not turn as she told him, “I am afraid you and I are just not very suited to each other, and I see no benefit to me or my family in return for joining hands with you. Good day.” And with a flick of her wrist, the man’s clothes unraveled around him.

Sandry walked to her uncle’s office with her head held high as the noblemen’s angry yelling and his aides concerned shouting echoed in the halls around her. When she opened the door she saw Duke Vedran sitting at his desk, a stern scowl set firmly upon his face. “Uncle,” Sandry began, only feeling slightly less confident in the face of her beloved family member, “I am afraid that Lord Geoff and I are simply incompatible and I see no benefits to marriage with him. I must also politely decline any more marriage meetings, for my heart has already been stolen.” 

The Duke raised an eyebrow at her and beckoned Sandry closer. “And what, might I ask, has caused our visiting Lord to scream so fiercely?” Sandry thought she saw a smile glimmer of pride in her uncle’s eye.

“Well, you see Uncle, he was acting so irritable I figured he must have been overheating in his clothes. So I unraveled them.”

The two stared at each other for a quiet moment before Duke Vedran, one of the most somber and dutiful men in Summersea, burst into riotous laughter. If Sandry weren’t so shocked at such an outburst, she might have laughed along, but instead she settled on a beaming smile.

“My Dear you did far better than I could have hoped,” Vedran said after calming down from his glee. “Lord Geoff’s father asked me to set his son straight somehow, as he was becoming rather unruly. I knew that if anyone could shock him off his noble high horse it would be you.” Sandry stared at him, mouth agape. Her uncle had tricked her! Vedran continued. “Besides, I knew that even if your patience did not run out, there were three others who would retaliate on your behalf.” Here he smiled at her knowingly.

“Oh Uncle, so you did realize. Now I feel silly.” Sandry sighed. 

Duke Vedran clasped her shoulder gently. “You four have a very strong connection to each other. It is hard for me to imagine any of you with anyone else.”

“You don’t think it’s wrong? To love so many all the same?”

“My dear,” The Duke began, “As you know, my wife was my only love. There have been people since her death, who suggest I should move on, to find someone new.” Sandry protested at the very idea, but the Duke continued on, “But my heart belonged to her, and it would not follow anyone else.” Sandry’s head lowered, she thought her Uncle meant that her heart was disloyal. “If you say your heart belongs to those four, and their hearts are yours, I have no reason to think that your relationship is impure, or wrong.” Again he smiled at her. Sandry didn’t realize how worried she’d been about what her uncle thought of her relationship with her housemates, but knowing that she had his blessing lifted a weight off her shoulders.

“But Uncle, surely I cannot be your heir now.”

The duke leaned back in his chair, hands clasped loosely on his middle, “This changes nothing my dear. I know that you and yours are strong people, and I would be glad to leave the city in your capable hands. But rest assured, that is not going to happen for a long time, as I have no intention to resign any time soon.”

“You mean…?”

“I see no reason why you must marry before inheriting, or why you should be forced to marry after- so long as you can find a suitable person to name heir of your own.”

The smile Sandry gave her uncle was near blinding and she practically leapt across the desk to hug her uncle. “Thank you, for your support now and all those years ago,” she whispered.

“Of course,” her uncle replied, “After all, you are my favorite niece. Though you mustn’t tell anyone of course.”

“Of course,” Sandry giggled, pulling away gently.

Vedran cleared his throat. “Now then I do believe three people have been waiting anxiously for you to get home. Especially judging by that storm cloud in the direction of the Circle.”

Sandry faced the window quickly, unsurprised to see the dark, angry looking cloud looming over her home. She smiled softly and let a tendril of her magic extend, slowly stroking back Tris’s own ruffled powers until the cloud had dissipated, and then wrapping around all three of them.  _ I’m coming home. _

**Author's Note:**

> “You four have a very strong connection to each other. It is hard for me to imagine any of you with anyone else.” This is me speaking. I think this. While yes, I do tend to flip-flop on whether the four's relationship towards each other is romantic or platonic, I genuinely cannot imagine any of them with anyone else. That's why I've never read the Circle Opens quartet, I refuse to believe they separate. I may read it someday, but not anytime


End file.
